Saints fail to end year on high note

Published: Sunday, December 30, 2012 at 6:08 p.m.

Last Modified: Sunday, December 30, 2012 at 6:08 p.m.

NEW ORLEANS — With no chance at making the playoffs, the New Orleans Saints wanted to close out the regular season on a high note against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

However, the same mistakes that haunted the Saints all year long were on full display in a 44-38 loss to the Panthers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

The Saints defense allowed 530 yards (273 rushing, 257 passing) and couldn't get off the field in crucial situations, allowing Carolina to convert 63 percent on third-down attempts.

Offensively, New Orleans racked up 441 yards (378 passing, 63 rushing) and held a brief 24-20 lead in the third quarter.

But a costly interception from Saints quarterback Drew Brees with 3:54 left in the third quarter led to 21 unanswered points for Carolina, putting the game out of reach.

The Saints, which ended the season at 7-9 overall, entered the game with no shot at making the playoffs, but they hoped a win would leave a good taste in their mouths heading into the offseason.

After the game, no one in the Saints locker room was pleased with the performance on Sunday.

"A loss is a loss," Saints interim coach Joe Vitt said. "You play 16 of these and to lose this the way we lost this, I don't care if this is the (season) opener, it's not good."

New Orleans receiver Lance Moore, who went over 1,000 yards receiving for the first time in his career on Sunday, echoed Vitt's frustrations, saying the Saints were motivated to end a long season with a good showing against Carolina.

"It's tough," Moore said. "Anytime you have a chance to finish the season off on a good note and you don't do that, it's disappointing. We'll learn from this though and get something good from this experience to set us up for next year."

New Orleans wanted to avoid setting a new mark for the most yards ever allowed in a season by a NFL defense.

The Saints finished the year allowing 7,042 yards, breaking the old NFL record of 6,793 allowed by the 1981 Baltimore Colts.

Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma, who returned an interception 18 yards for a touchdown on Sunday, said New Orleans can't make any excuses for making NFL history in an undesirable way.

"You get what you deserve," Vilma said. "You don't play good defense, that's what's going to happen. Be a man and suck it up."

After a long season marred by the bounty scandal, New Orleans offensive lineman Zach Strief said the Saints are ready to shift their attention to the offseason. The Saints failed to make the postseason for the first time since 2008 this year.

"There is a lot of time to assess now and figure out why we were in this situation," Strief said. "Ultimately, we've got to take something out of this and make sure it doesn't happen again."

The biggest positive, Strief said, will be getting suspended coach Sean Payton back for next season. Payton and the Saints agreed on a contract extension last week.

With Payton back, Strief said the Saints will have a chance at a fresh start.

"We are certainly excited about not having to answer questions about Coach not being here anymore," Strief said. "We want Coach Payton here because he is a big part of this organization. I'm excited to have him back so we could move on."

The 2012 season was a long and frustrating one for the Saints and their fans, but Moore promised that the good times will once again return to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome next year.

"We appreciate our fans and supporters for being there all year," Moore said. "We love them. I can promise them that we'll bounce back next year. That's our biggest goal."

<p>NEW ORLEANS — With no chance at making the playoffs, the New Orleans Saints wanted to close out the regular season on a high note against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.</p><p>However, the same mistakes that haunted the Saints all year long were on full display in a 44-38 loss to the Panthers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.</p><p>The Saints defense allowed 530 yards (273 rushing, 257 passing) and couldn't get off the field in crucial situations, allowing Carolina to convert 63 percent on third-down attempts.</p><p>Offensively, New Orleans racked up 441 yards (378 passing, 63 rushing) and held a brief 24-20 lead in the third quarter.</p><p>But a costly interception from Saints quarterback Drew Brees with 3:54 left in the third quarter led to 21 unanswered points for Carolina, putting the game out of reach. </p><p>The Saints, which ended the season at 7-9 overall, entered the game with no shot at making the playoffs, but they hoped a win would leave a good taste in their mouths heading into the offseason.</p><p>After the game, no one in the Saints locker room was pleased with the performance on Sunday.</p><p>"A loss is a loss," Saints interim coach Joe Vitt said. "You play 16 of these and to lose this the way we lost this, I don't care if this is the (season) opener, it's not good." </p><p>New Orleans receiver Lance Moore, who went over 1,000 yards receiving for the first time in his career on Sunday, echoed Vitt's frustrations, saying the Saints were motivated to end a long season with a good showing against Carolina. </p><p>"It's tough," Moore said. "Anytime you have a chance to finish the season off on a good note and you don't do that, it's disappointing. We'll learn from this though and get something good from this experience to set us up for next year."</p><p>New Orleans wanted to avoid setting a new mark for the most yards ever allowed in a season by a NFL defense.</p><p>But big days from Carolina quarterback Cam Newton (16-for-33, 248 yards passing) and running back DeAngelo Williams (21 carries, 210 rushing yards, two TDs) ended any chances of that.</p><p>The Saints finished the year allowing 7,042 yards, breaking the old NFL record of 6,793 allowed by the 1981 Baltimore Colts.</p><p>Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma, who returned an interception 18 yards for a touchdown on Sunday, said New Orleans can't make any excuses for making NFL history in an undesirable way. </p><p>"You get what you deserve," Vilma said. "You don't play good defense, that's what's going to happen. Be a man and suck it up." </p><p>After a long season marred by the bounty scandal, New Orleans offensive lineman Zach Strief said the Saints are ready to shift their attention to the offseason. The Saints failed to make the postseason for the first time since 2008 this year.</p><p>"There is a lot of time to assess now and figure out why we were in this situation," Strief said. "Ultimately, we've got to take something out of this and make sure it doesn't happen again."</p><p>The biggest positive, Strief said, will be getting suspended coach Sean Payton back for next season. Payton and the Saints agreed on a contract extension last week.</p><p>With Payton back, Strief said the Saints will have a chance at a fresh start. </p><p>"We are certainly excited about not having to answer questions about Coach not being here anymore," Strief said. "We want Coach Payton here because he is a big part of this organization. I'm excited to have him back so we could move on."</p><p>The 2012 season was a long and frustrating one for the Saints and their fans, but Moore promised that the good times will once again return to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome next year. </p><p>"We appreciate our fans and supporters for being there all year," Moore said. "We love them. I can promise them that we'll bounce back next year. That's our biggest goal."</p>